Last night was Miss M's first judo tournament. It was rather a surprise. It was a club tournament ( which I found out they do about once a month) and I was just showing up expecting the regular Tuesday night class. At first I was concerned that she isn't ready for a tournament yet, so I went and talked to Mac. He told me that she was welcome to do news (mat work) matches only, or just watch if she would rather. I gave her the choice. She was extremely nervous about the whole thing and said she would rather watch. I agreed we could do that.
After a class warm up, we went to sit at the side and watch the other kids compete. She liked it, but didn't like the idea of falling hard. Then a little boy (also 5) showed up. His mom had the same concerns, but M was now ready to try if she could play with him. I talked to Mac and he agreed it was a good match.
Her first time up, she was rather uncertain. He pinned her 3 times and she escaped all three times, but he won by decision. She was ready to cry, but she got lots of praise from me and the other sensis made her feel better. Matches 2 and 3 she did a good job of trying hard, but A was just a bit stronger and faster at the starts. She left with a good feeling about the whole thing though, so I am very proud of her. ( when am I not) I'll add a picture of her in her gi when I get home.